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Media Summary on Hong Kong's Future
Period: March 15 – 21, 1983
INTRODUCTION:
The main item of the week has been the talks between Chinese, British and HK officials about the nuclear power plant to be built at Daya Bay, although few hard facts were made public. A statement on Friday said the talks had taken place in a friendly and co-operative atmosphere and noted among other things that the project could be beneficial to the prosperity and stability of HK.
A four-page broadsheet produced by the HK Belongers' Association appeared on the news stands on Friday. Called "The Voice", it dealt exclusively with the future, carrying a selection of articles from the independent and left-wing Press.
Chinese Prime Minister, Mr. Zhao Ziyang, told Australian journalists in Beijing that China intended to regain sovereignty over HK and said worries about the future were exaggerated.
The latest issue of Wide Angle reported that a HK group which had visited China had brought back a picture of the HK of the future: there would be a municipal council, much of the existing law would remain, the Supreme Court would become the final court of appeal and a decision-making group of 'patriots' would be set up. The NPC would enact legislation for the establishment of an SAR to clarify the status of HK after China had regained sovereignty. The magazine also printed details of various references to HK during Parliamentary proceedings going back as far as 1963.
An article in a magazine published by Xinhua described HK as a deformed society, riddled with insecurity, misery, suffering and corruption.
A senior Government official told the press on Tuesday that there would be no referendum on the question of 1997.
The Financial Daily noticed that the wording of the first paragraph of the chapter on Constitution and Administration in "HK 1983" was different from the previous year, speculating that this indicated HK's political system might change.
The Express has reported that the second round of the Sino-British talks on the future would begin later this month.
The papers reported that the Reform Club would send a delegation to Beijing in May, at which the results of a survey showing 93 pc of the people of HK wanted to be ruled by Britain would be explained.
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